Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-08-01
En,rrcr Rcetl.s noIYmGnll.


Charles H. Reed, the lawyer who defend
ed Guteau, and who attempted suicide last
Saturday by throwing himself from ferry
boat running between New York and Jersey
City, has had remarkable career. The
New York SIN gives the following account
OF his rapid rise into public favor and his
subsequent downfall:
People at the Toombs Saturday, who saw
the hapless lawyer when he lirst appeared,
briehteyed, nobby and confident, in the city
courts, were shocked by the change in his
appearance. They remembered how he
looked when he defended Samuel Z. Goode,
the colored iantor, VINO murdered Police.
man James North in Wall street, on August
2lst, 1885. He got his client oil with q life
sentence. He was nattily dressed then, and
cluster of diamonds flashed from u pin in
his white scarf. His beautiful wife sat be-
side him during the trial. While Reed was
pleading for The murderer q pivilege was
riyen TO him not often accorded to counsel
for the defense, that Of standing ut the
table of the prosecution. He gradually
began going down hill after his first small
successes here. He got into trouble
about q check at the Rossmore Hotel, whore
CITY because of some financial trouble with
his clients. Since April Is he had been
lodging at Tavlor's Hotel His wife, who lives
in Baltimore, has been sending him remit
tances for several weeks. The chief clerk
OF the hotel accompanied Reed TO bank to
identify him about three weeks ago. so that
he could get q check of his wife's cashcd.
He has shown fondness for solitude, and
has appeared greatly cast down for nearly
two weeks He left the hotel on Tuesday,
ana has slept since then in the Jersey City
station of the Pennsylvania Railroad re
ate his meals, always frugal, at klchs res
taurant, Il few doors above tte hotel. Mrs.
Rich says she mas frequently invited him to
eat, and charged him nothing, knowing him
TO be without money, She says that on
Wednesday last, while the restaurant was
in charge olthe head waiter, Mr.. Reed went
TO the money drawer and WAS about 10 open
1t. when the hotel wSiter saw MIN. He ran
out and the head waiter ran after him,
caught him and turned him over TO po-
liceman. Mr.. Rich refused 10 make a charge
against him and he was released. The i'm
agnaij0u of Defoe could not conceive
anything more curious than the career of
tins man, nov the constructive genius OF
Collins or Reade contrive life in which
evil vas 10 long and 50 deeply hidden, only
TO reach NJ last lis exposure. Twenty
years ago Charles II. Reed WAS pub
lie prosecutor OF Cook county, OF which Chi
cago is the chief city Young, energetic,
pushing, he managed an Office whose inn
portance grew with the unparalleled growth
OF this phenomenal human hive. His IN
come-salary and fees-amounted to So, 900
year. He was public pet. He was q ra
morseess and untiriug prosecutor he was
always in the public eye, and generally IN
the public ear. The press made hero Of
him; the church esteemed him society
caressed him. He had ;he moustaches
Which inspire admiration in tie young, and
thoaudacity and persistence which pass for
talent and character with too large por-
ton of tina world. He was not only the
guardian of public morality, but te was
looked upon NJ an exponent Of theology.
He was won't to write Sunday essays for the
leading newspapers or the significance of
the Greek word for hell, and its mistransa-
ton by the immature scholars of the Bible.
He was "a favorite al Sunday school conven-
tons. In fact. he stroda the great city OF
the West like n true Yankee Colossus, 9nd
for fourteen years il never entered anybo-
dy's head 10 question his Conduct. la an
evil day his audacity carried him toofSr. He
had despOtism in the Criminal Cuurt %
the country which brave and upright
Judge the veteran Wm. X. DlcAl'ster,
calmly invaded. When he sat on the criminal
bench, Reed had 10 pro secute above board,
according to law, aud 30 convict only upon
the law anG evidence. The foolish part Of
the public, which loses It's head on small
provoCation and ae often ga newspaper eX-
citement supplies the required heat, took
his part against the magistrate who was as
indifferent to folly % the rock of Gibraltar
to the splash Of the surf Defeated for a
third term as public prosecutor, Reed ran
for Judge against the man who had COM
PEELED him 10 become law abiding. Then
the day Of Judgment arrived. A republican,
his party press gallantly supported his eau
didacy, ignorant Of the truth of his real life.
Little by little the truth came out But be.
fore more than q mere tithe Of it was even
suspected, and in spite of an adverse party
majority, Judge McAllister defeated him by
vote overwhelming. Reed meanwhile
was said to have deserted young wife in
New York State, and married another in Chi
cago, TO have squandered an estate of $780,
900 left in trust to him by dying father
for orphan children, and various other acts
of prohigacy and dishonesty. For short
time after his volunteer defence of Guiteau
1t seems as if he was endeavoring to take 8
new start in life. But depravity had be.
come chronic. He fell rapidly, and was
obliged to leave New York, as ne had been
obliged to leave Chicago.